Peace Quarters

Thursday, 18 September 2014

I Am Scared of Death

The denial of death is the beginning of peacelessness. Your ultimate fear and cause of absolute agony is the uncertainty of what you will face at the moment of your death. Will your last breath begin the first moment of eternal darkness or a sleep which ultimately erases your existence? Will you experience the ultimate loss of everything you know — all joy and all sadness.

Do You Control Your Thoughts or Do They Enslave You

To gain knowledge of concentration requires not only study, but balance also. There are two aspects of life: the audible life and the silent life. By audible life I mean all experiences, all sensations that we experience through our five senses. This is distinct from the life, which I would call the silent life. And when one asks what benefit one derives from getting in touch with the silent life, the answer is that the benefit is as abstract as the silent life itself. The life of sensation is clear; its benefit is clear; yet limited, as is the life of sensation, so limited is its benefit. That is why their importance lasts as long as we experience them but after that the importance of the life of sensation is finished.

The value of silent life is independent. We are inclined to attach a value to something, which concerns our outer life. The silent life does not give us a special benefit but a general benefit. In other words, if there is a minor wound on the body an external application of a certain medicament can cure it. But there are other medicines, which can cure the general condition, and this is more satisfactory than the external cure, though it is less spectacular.

Inspiration: Thoughts From Beyond Your Mind (Part 2)

One might ask, “Does inspiration come as a finished picture? Does it come as a written letter?” No, it comes to an artist as if his hand were taken by someone else, as if his eyes were closed and his heart was open. He has drawn something, he has painted something, and he does not know who painted it, and drew it. Inspiration comes to a musician as if someone else were playing or singing and he were only taking it down — a complete melody, a perfect air. After he has written it down, then it enchants his soul. To a poet, inspiration comes as if someone was dictating and he was only writing. There is no strain on his brain; there is no anxiety in receiving it.

It is, therefore, that many confuse inspiration with spirit communication. It is natural that inspiration should come from a being living just now on earth or from someone who has passed; yet the most profound inspiration comes always from the divine mind, and to God, alone, the credit is due. Even if an inspiration comes through the mind of a person living on earth or through a soul who has passed on to the other side, it still has come from God, for all knowledge and wisdom belong to God.

Inspiration: Thoughts & Action of a Higher Order (Part 1)

Inspiration is a higher form of intuition, for it comes as an idea, as a complete theme with its improvisation, as a phrase creative of a poem. Inspiration is a stream, a stream of wonder and bewilderment. The really inspired person — whether a writer, a poet, a composer, or whatever may be his work — when once he has received an inspiration, he has found satisfaction — not with himself, but with what has come to him. It gives his soul such a relief, for the soul was drawing from something and that object from which it was drawing has yielded to the soul, has given it what it was asking for. Therefore, inspiration may be called the soul’s reward.F

Institution: Your Ability to Sense Beyond Your 5 Senses

Intuition rises from the depths of the human heart. It has two aspects: one is dependent upon an outer impression, and the other is independent of any outer impressions. The former is called, “impression,” and the latter, “intuition.” Intuition is a fine faculty.

Often one says, “This person gives me such and such an impression,” but there is no reason to prove it. One is perhaps not capable of finding any reason to prove it; nevertheless, one’s impressions are right. There are some people who are naturally intuitive. For someone who is intuitive, it is not necessary to wait until he, so to speak, finds a person out. All he needs is one moment. As soon as his eyes fall upon the person, this instantly gives rise to an impression, which is the former kind of intuition. Someone with a fine mind and with a still mind generally has intuition. Someone with a gross mind and a restless mind lacks it.

Intuition is a super sense. It may be called a sixth sense. It is the essence of all senses. When a person says he sensed something, it does not mean that there were objective reasons to prove that it was so. It means that, without any outer reasons or objective signs, he has sensed it.

Your Body: The Physical Vessel You Captain Through Time & Space

We start with this aspect of ourselves we call “the body.” From the usual viewpoint, the body is this fleshy, bony “thing” that we awaken to each morning. We wash it and brush its teeth, we walk, drag or drive it around through the day to the various places we need to go, we give it adequate exercise, we shovel healthy food and liquids into it, we let it relieve itself of accumulated wastes. We might allow it various forms of pleasure ranging from nature walks to ecstatic dancing to massages and other delights, depending on one’s fancies. Finally, we lay it down to rest at night in sleep.

For doctors, the body is coldly viewed as merely a biochemical machine, needing to be fixed when it breaks down usually by pumping drugs into it or invading it with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation—such interventions often quite helpful, even life-saving, but also far too often an inappropriate way of dealing with the roots of the problems. From a mercenary point of view, the body is just a skin bag of water comprising two-thirds of the body, plus carbon, calcium and other materials, with an overall cash value of about $8.

Sunday, 7 September 2014

GUIDE TO MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness - A Meditation For Success At Work

As professionals, we have our plates full with one task leading to another. Stress gives us little time to take a break and focus on the other side of our lives, the personal space. Our busy schedules make it too costly to spend a peaceful family time and catch up with friends, making the decisions harder. This is where being mindful of your life’s course comes in. Rather than getting consumed in the rat race we often talk about, we should rather pause and check what our life is becoming.

Adapting mindfulness is not rocket science; we can instill it in our life however we want to. The guide to mindfulness is all about adapting the right kinds of attitude to develop your capacity so that you lead a more meaningful life. The following attitudes can enhance your outlook on the world around you, giving you peace of mind. Who would not want that?

Acceptance – It does not mean accepting what others want you to; it is about coming to terms with your own feelings instead of running away from them. Once you acknowledge where you are, it will be easier to get to the needed change.
Curiosity – It is okay to have the urge of knowing something. Becoming curious about your own thoughts and feelings will lead you to answers. Ask yourself those questions which decode your emotions.
Let it go – Holding on seems easier, but it has pain hidden beneath it. You should be mindful of the harm negative memories can bring you, so do not dwell deep in the past which can harm your future.
Be rational – Rather than categorizing your experiences into good or bad, just observe them with an open mind. If you begin classifying them, your thoughts will be channeled in that direction.
Don’t strive – We often see escape as the easier option if things do not go as planned and jot down the goal for another experience. That is a bad practice; do not ruin your capabilities by being too dependent on goals.
Believe – Be confident in yourself, your intuition and mindful living.

Now that we laid out the paths of the ultimate guide to mindfulness, following are the driving forces which will get you to the destination. These factors will help you be aware of mindfulness so keep them in your sight so that you can turn back to them. Pin them up on your cupboard, maybe?

Intentions- As we often hear that actions are based on intentions; they are a major driving tool for your mindful journey. Interestingly, they are the starting and the ending points because intentions are what we hope to get out of a mindful change in our lives. Therefore, have faith in them and do not alienate from the motivation itself. Whether you want stress elimination or meet your true self, your intentions will keep you on track. The stronger your intention is, the regular you will be in practicing mindfulness.

Attention – In order to be regular in practicing mindfulness, you need to enhance your attention. You can develop attentive attitude through meditation be it tradition or informal.

Attitude – At this point, we would like you to go back to the attitudes we introduced to and pay attention to how you can adapt them easily.

Now that general rules of your guide to mindfulness are set, we will give you some daily life hack to enhancing mindful living. The great thing about this art is that you can practice it anytime; you do not need to go out of the way.

Communicating – When in conversation with someone else, hear the tone of yours and their voice. Catch your thoughts wandering away and drag yourself back to the conversation or else you will hurt feelings.
Exercise – Next time you step on the treadmill or go out for a walk; keep your mind on the track your body is on. Focus on your emotions and the environment around you rather than how the person in front of you is working out. Be curious!
Holidays – Take a break and treat yourself with a vacation away from your comfort zone. Sipping lemonade at the beach should not be making you plan your next holiday, rather enjoy the surroundings before you need to pack and leave. We would advise you to keep your camera and phone away, too.
Music – Our moods mostly shift gears with the music we listen to. Plug you earphones and play your favorite songs and catch the sounds bits appearing from nowhere and then disappearing back into silence.
Live in the moment – It is either now or never, so slow down and get caught in the moment. Refresh yourself with sniffing the roses on the side of your jogging track instead of hurrying to finish the jog.

While you are done reading and thinking of where to begin the quick fix, bear in mind that being mindful is a journey not a destination. The simplest of actions will kick start a chain reaction and you will find yourself living life in a very simple way. You will begin to see things in the way they are, without any influence just so that you know what you need to be happy and what needs to be left behind because it is not needed for your personal and professional development. We wish you a happy journey!

Love,

Peace Quarters